Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1887-09-08

|
mo, no." said Mr. Mackenzie; 81 would
have no mans blood upon my hands If it
please God that my daughter die this aw-
| full death. His viii be done You are a
brave man (Which am not by any means),
and noble man, Quartermain; but you
shall not CO."
eff nothing else turns up L shall CO." I
said, decidedly
''This is an important matter" said Mac
kenzie, addressing the Lygonani. E'and we
must think it over You Shall have your
answer at dawn"
| Very well, white man." answered the
savage, indifferently; "only remember if
thy answer 10 late thy little white bud will
never grow into a flower; that is all, for |
shall cut it with this" and he touched the
spear. II should have thought that thou
wouldst play trick and attack us by
night, but know from the woman with
the girl that your men are down at the
coast, and that you have but twenty men
here. 1t is not wise, white man" he added
with q laugh, ''to keep so small q garrison
for your bona (kraaD. Well, good night,
and good night to you also, other white
men, whose eyelids shall soon close once
and for all. At dawn you will bring me
word. If not. remember it shall be as
have said" Then turning to Umslopogaas,
who had all the while been standing be-
hind him, and shepherding him, as it were,
open the door for me, fellow, quick now"
This was too much for the old chiefs
patience. For the last half hour his lips
had been, figuratiyely speaking, positively
watering over the Nasal Lygonani, and
this he could not stand. Placing his long
hand on the ElmOran's shoulder, he gripped
him, and gave him such a twist as brought
him face to face with himself Then,
bringing his fierce countenance to within
a few inches Of the MaSai'S evil feather
framed features, he said in a low, growI-
ing voice:
''Seest thou me?'
Gay, fellow, | see thee"
And seest thou this?" and he held Ink
osikaasi before his eyes.
cay, fellow, see the toy; what of it?"
"Thou Nasal dog, Unou boasting windbag,
thou capturer of little girls, with this toy
will [ hew thee limb from limb Well for
thee that thou art herald, or even now
would [ strew thy members about the
grass"
The Nasal shook his great spear and
laughedolong and loud, as he answered, 81
would that thou stoCdst against me- man
to man. and we would see," and again he
turned to go, still laughing
''Thou shalt stand against me, man to
man, be not afraid" replied Umslopogaas,
still in the same Ominous voice '"Thou
shalt stand face to face with Umslopogaas,
of the blood of Chaka, of the people of the
Amazulu, a captain in the regiment of the
NkOmabakOsi, as many have done before,
and bow thyself to Inkosikaasi, as many
have done before. Ay, laugh on, laugh onl
tomorrow night shall the jackals laugh as
they crunch thy RIBS
When the LygOnani had gone, one of us
thought of opening the basket he had
brought as proof that Flossie was really
their prisoner. On lifting the lid it was
found to contain q most lovely specimen
of both bulb and flower of the Goya lily
which [ have already described in full
bloom and quite uninjured; and, what was
more, note in Flossie's childish hand,
written in pencil upon a greasy piece of
paper that had been used to wrap some
food in.
DEAREST FATHER AND MOTHER ran
the note, ''The Nasal caught us when we
were coming home with the lily. [ tried
to escape but could not. They killed Tom;
hurt nurse and me, but say that they mean
to exchange us against one of Mr.. Quarter
mains party L aUilJ haze nothing of the
sort. Do not let anybody give his life for
me. Try and attack them at night; they
are going to feast on three bullocks they
and if no help comes by dawn I will shoot
myself. They shall not kill me. If so, re-
member me always, dearest father and
mother. I am very frightened, but trust
In God. I dare not write any more as they
are beginning to notice. Good by.
FIossIE."
Scrawled across the outside of this was
Glove to Mr.. Quartermain. They are go
ing to take up the basket, so he will get the
lily"
When | read those words, written by
that brave little girl in the hour of danger
sufficiently near and horrible to have
turned the brain of a strong man, l own I
wept; and once more IN my heart I vowed
that she should not die while my life could
be given to save her.
Then eagerly, quickly, almost iercely,
we fell to discussing the situation. Again
fsaid that would go, and again Mackenzie
negatived it, and Curtis and Good, like the
true men that they are, vowed that, if |
did, they would go with me, and die back
to back with me-
''It is, said at last, absolutely neces-
Sary that an effort of some sort should be
made before the morning.
''Then let US attack them with what force
we can muster, and take our chance" said
Sir Henry.
Gay, ay," growled Umslopogaas in Zulu;
spoken like a man, Iucubu. What is
there to be afraid of? Two hundred and
fifty Nasal, forsooth! How many are we?
The chief there (Mr. Mackenzie) has TWEEN
ty men, and thou, Macumazahn, hast five
men, and there are also five white men
that is thirty men in all-enough, enough.
Listen now, Macumazahn, thou who art
very clever, and old in war. What says
the maid? These men eat and make mer-
ry, let it be their funeral feast. What said
the dog whom hope to hew down at day
break? That he feared no attack because
we were so few. Knowest thou the old
kraal where the men have camped? | saw
it this morning; it is thus" and he drew an
oval on the floor; "here is the big entrance,
filed up with thorn bushes, and giving on
to a steep rise. Why, Incubu, thou and I